


What Lurks in the Mist

by katsa5



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Monsters, No Beta Too Shy, Survival Horror, lots of flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29486418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katsa5/pseuds/katsa5
Summary: Ferdinand and Hubert's mission is to find and rescue Marianne from the haunted woods of Edmund's lands; a forest overpopulated with demonic monsters. (aka survive Marianne's paralogue.)
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	What Lurks in the Mist

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: “Today’s weather report is excessively violent with a chance of dismemberment, along with an increased chance of violence against animals (if you think of monsters trying to kill you as animals).
> 
> Suggested Music:   
> “Revenge” by James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra  
> “Death Battle: Ikari!”  
> “Come, Sweet Death”  
> “Intro Perk Walk” by Daniel Licht  
> “Fodlan Winds” and “Face My Fears” by Roven and Revan (specifically these remixes. It’s fantastic!)

The forest stank. The thick, black trees were dense. Its floor was thick with lush foliage of green ferns, rotting wood, and overly churned dirt. It smelt strongly of decay, petrichor, and occasionally of viscera. The mist consuming the forest was so thick that it made the trees look like algae in a stirred river.   
Ferdinand hated this environment with every passing second. Everything about it crept on his nerves constantly, from the effect on the senses to the persistent feeling of being watched; like a lone rabbit in an open field of foxes, anything can grab at him anytime. With his brightly colored clothing and glistening, Cavalier uniform armor, he stood out in the forest like a tropical bird. The bright colors were a deliberate choice because, as was his rationale, being visible would have an advantage during a rescue mission. That didn’t seem like the case now. His horse could barely run through the thick underbrush. Her hooves were loud as they continuously crushed leaves and sticks. Nervous, she acted jittery with hooves beating and subtle whinnies. It took Ferdinand walking closely beside her to calm her down.   
Hubert, on the other hand, appeared like he was thriving in it. The black-robed uniform of the dark mage forces worked in his favor by hiding him as the black blended into the mist like a shadow. He explored ahead, disappearing and reappearing like a shadow throughout the cold gray. The only indication of his presence was a small flame that would erupt from his open palm, which he would occasionally carry like a lantern.   
Suddenly, he appeared before Ferdinand, stopping him in place with an open palm to his chest. The other instantly obeyed.   
There was a thump, followed by another. Footsteps. Large ones.   
The horse began to paw the ground with its front hooves nervously. Ferdinand stood next to her head, stroking her mane reassuringly, and she immediately calmed. He carefully lined the horse body to hide in the tree shadow.  
“That horse is a liability.” Hubert hissed  
“Erebia is our exit strategy.”  
A loud footfall echoed through the mist. Extinguishing the flames in his hand, Hubert turned his head towards a broken tree next to them. Its trunk had been split down the middle as if struck by lightning and laid out hollow. Hubert grabbed Ferdinand by his belt and quickly pulled him into the hollow with him. Ferdinand still held the reins loosely, and the horse calmly followed into the tree’s shade.   
A long shadow was barely present as it stretched past them. Foliage tore and broke behind them as something like phalanges or claws twisted them about as they moved. Slowly, the clawed footsteps moved past them and disappeared into the mists. The two let out a collective sigh, of relief. “Four.” Hubert whispered.  
Ferdinand nodded. These creatures were nothing new to them, but it was an unusually high number. “Are they a pack? That can’t be. They don’t run in packs.”  
“It’s possible that it summoned them here.”  
“Meaning they may not be familiar with the land.”  
“Or there's far more.”  
Ferdinand turned his eyes aside. “Scary thought.” He peered out of the hollow tree, hearing only silence. “We can’t stay here for long. Where should we even start looking?”  
Hubert pressed his fisted hand to his lips in thought. “A thousand-year-old monster would likely wait in the middle of the forest if it’s expecting company. Both for theatrics and a trap.”  
“How would we find this center? Pick a direction and start walking?”  
“Follow the corpses. This thing tends to drag off humans. It has to have someplace to prefers to feed.”  
Ferdinand wrinkled his nose in disgust; trust Hubert to be casual with the macabre, “So gross.” Hubert relit the small flame in his open palm and snuck out. Ferdinand had no experience with tracking. To him, the entire forest already carried an underlying smell of rotten flesh. “Hubert, we need to stay together.” He was already gone.  
Ferdinand paused. A haunting reverb was in the air. A distant roar that wobbled on itself. A howl that vibrated. And a layer of words he could barely hear. All were echoing through the forest like a call. What if it was an announcement or an order? If so, the situation went from tense to dire. Ferdinand closed his eyes, attempting to track the direction of the sounds.   
Then he heard significantly smaller, running footsteps, darting his eyes straight towards their direction. They have to belong to her. They can't be anything else. Ignoring the risks, he mounted his horse and quickly charged towards the steps. Through the mists, a figure of navy blue formed. A soft voice called, “Ferdinand!” Without a pause, he leaned down with an outstretched arm and scooped up Marianne, who, like second nature, slid upon the back of the saddle and clung to him, “He’s coming!”  
Ferdinand turned to her to ask until something snarled. Padded feet thundered against the foliage. Ferdinand turned around and faced the charging sound, “Hang onto me.” As Marianne held onto his armored torso, Ferdinand slid the lance from the saddle’s weapon-straps as an enormous wolf charged through the fog wall. Its empty eyes were solid yellow of rage, and its jaw, filled with sharpened yellow fangs, hung open in both panting and readiness to bite. Ferdinand braced the lance upward, steel gripping it with both hands. The gigantic wolf leaped at them. Ferdinand, horse and all, stepped aside.   
Ferdinand had seen these dire wolves many times before, and they always used the same lack-of-tactics and had the same weaknesses. He swung the lance sideways and caught the beast’s mouth, tearing along its cheek and down the flesh of its neck. With careful timing, Ferdinand snapped forward upon the lance, hitting the bone of its jaw, and tearing it out of the socket. The dire wolf fell on its side with a painful howl, but it took a mere second to recover. It stood on its paws glaring in a rage, despite the blood that poured from its neck and a hanging, useless lower jaw. With a quick spin of the lance, Ferdinand readied for another attack. The wolf will likely change tactics and start clawing and throwing dirt. He’ll need to be prepared to dodge.  
Suddenly, a pool of black formed beneath the creature's paws. Ferdinand smiled as purple stars rose from the pool, and shot through the wolf’s body like arrows. With a loud, struggling howl, it collapsed to the ground and ceased to move. Hubert was standing behind it. Black vapors still wisped from his hands as he casually approached the two. Ferdinand passed the reins to Marianne as he slid off the horse, “If more than two appear, run.” The two men silently stood side-to-side, both braced for combat. When there was one wolf, there will always be more.   
“You had Marianne,” Hubert whispered to him. “You should've left.”  
“I will not abandon you.” He hissed back.  
They stood opposite, shoulder to shoulder, as the forest remained silent. Unnaturally silent. The three waited, but not a movement occurred. Stillness. Silence.  
Ferdinand exhaled, weapon and head lowering as he breathed deeply. Hubert grasped his shoulder. “There’s something out there,” Hubert said as he relit the flame, “but it's likely not paying attention to us.”   
“Maybe we should all just ride out of here?”  
“Not a bad idea,” Ferdinand said as he climbed back on the saddle in front of Marianne. “It’s faster.”  
Hubert glared, “I’m not riding that beast. It can’t carry all of us.”  
“Erebia is a dray horse. She certainly can. I carry you on my lap, Hubert.” Ferdinand smirked, “Feeling shy?”  
The Marquis spun away and started walking, “I can run faster.”  
“Oh, really, Then let’s race out of here. But the moment I pass you, I get to-.”   
Suddenly a loud, unnatural roar shattered the silence. The three darted about, searching for the source. “Marianne. Hubert. Scatter.” Ferdinand braced his lance as Marianne dismounted and hid by a tree while Hubert took several steps backward. Ferdinand stood firm.  
The beast’s mother of pearl skin seems to ooze the mists hiding it. Its smell was strange. Its voice was strange. Everything about it was strange. Its eyes were dead. The flesh of its exposed mouth was pulled back and dried almost to the point of tearing, revealing row upon row of sharp fangs. The same was true of its four sinewy legs, with one set having long claws already caked with dried blood.   
With a click of the heels, Ferdinand ran straight up to the beast, “I am Ferdinand of Adrestia! And I will be the last thing you will ever see!” While he had faced these creatures before, he was always accompanied by a small army. For now, He had to ignore the danger to keep himself focused. Others are depending on him; Hubert is counting on him. He charged, and the demon swatted a claw at him like he was a fly. Anticipating this maneuver, Ferdinand and horse leaped high up into the air to dodge the attack and, using their own force of movement, swung his lance upward. The monster shrieked as three of its four claws were slashed to the bone, and it could barely walk on it. The cavalier held his lance out threateningly at the creature, horse and rider striding side to side. Three small stars shot through the air and pierced the monster’s side, followed by a beam of blue-white light that struck behind its head. Ferdinand saw the opportunity and charged. The lance was held far out to the left and caught the monster in his side as he galloped by. He loudly grunted, and he pushed against the hardened leather armor of the monster’s skin. Ferdinand swooped back to charge again, and the beast followed him. A purple mist erupted from its mouth like a vaporous spit, and Ferdinand snapped backward to get away from it. The demonic beast then charged at him. Ferdinand knew he had no time to dodge this time, so he charged at it with lance forward like it was a simple joust. He didn't even flinch when the creature opened its gangrenous mouth wide, and he twisted the lance up to catch the mouth roof. However, he did not anticipate the monster to sink its teeth straight down upon the lance shaft and snap its head to the side, attempting to pull Ferdinand off of the horse. Fortunately, he gripped the saddle in time to stay firm. The horse gave a loud whiny from the strain of the force, panicking at the monster’s breath on her hind legs.  
Similarly, Ferdinand loudly growled as he pushed and twisted the lance against the monster’s sword-like teeth, which in turn was chewing and slashing dangerously close. His arms felt like they were being torn to shreds, but Ferdinand won't release the weapon. The moment he does, all three of them will die.  
Suddenly, a pillar of dark fire rained down upon the back of the monster’s neck. In response to the pain, the monster’s head flipped straight up, throwing Ferdinand into the air. He was hurled high, flailing like a doll and then hitting the ground once with a loud, rattling, crunching thud. Ferdinand clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out as his body rattled about in his armor. He thought he heard Marianne call from a distance. Suddenly, he was pinned to the ground by clawed feet, quickly clutching him and slamming him against the ground two more times. Trapped, Ferdinand couldn't move; couldn't breathe. All he could do was breathlessly stare as the monster opened its mouth towards his head.  
A white beam shot against the monster’s head, forcing it to step back with a roar and dropping Ferdinand. Hubert had run forward and stood in between Ferdinand and the beast. The mage yelled down at him, “GET UP!” as he glared ahead. The demonic beast clumsily shuffled itself back up and charged at him. Violet vapors erupted from Hubert’s hands, “No more!” and fired two bolts. The monster stopped in its place as what looked like two skull-shaped wisps of smoke lifted from the monster’s head. Without missing a beat, Hubert chanced his stance and shot both open palms at the beast, and a spiral of thick, syrupy purple mists erupted about it. Wilting on the spot, it slowly collapsed.  
Hubert returned to see Ferdinand slowly climbing to his feet, trembling. With a gentle grasp upon both forearms, he helped him up and supported him. Ferdinand gave a weak laugh, “I must look horrible if you are worried.”  
Hubert’s only response was a firm, “Hold still.” as he took out the vulnerary. Hubert ran his hand through Ferdinand’s hair, sliding it out of the way of the vulnerary that he applied to Ferdinand’s skull.   
“Where’s Marianne?”  
“After the horse.”  
The cavalier nodded, sighing as he saw the deep red on Hubert’s glove yet taking solace in Hubert’s calm expression. “How severe?”  
“You’re not as hard-headed as I always said you were as kids.”  
Ferdinand grinned at him, “I wish I were now.”  
Still massaging the vulnerary, Hubert smugly grinned. “ ‘I’ll be the last thing you’ll ever see.” Did Caspar write that one for you?”  
“Admit it. You loved it.”  
“I suppose. For once, you had a brilliant strategy. The monster would either be stunned for several seconds or die laughing.”  
“Ha ha ha, Funny man. You-.” He froze, face growing in terror, “Hubert, look out!” Before Hubert could respond, Ferdinand grabbed him by his torso and spun him around, shielding him.  
Another demonic beast had charged at them, a fireball building in its open mouth.   
While Ferdinand shielded Hubert, Marianne was charging at it on the horse. The horse dodged the fireball with a quick side-step as rays of light erupted from her hands, causing a pillar of light to crash down upon the monster and halting it in place.   
With a loud blast, the fireball struck Ferdinand’s armor, deflecting it. The flames disintegrated into hot sparks on impact with the metal. Ferdinand opened his clenched eyes to see Hubert had wrapped his arms tightly around Ferdinand’s unarmored head. When Hubert took back his arms, Ferdinand saw that the long, dangling sleeves of his robes were heavily singed, practically burnt. The mage didn’t even flinch. “Hubert?” Ferdinand spoke with concern in Hubert’s ear, visibly moved by what he had seen.  
“I’m fine,” he answered. “Go get him.”  
Still holding him, Ferdinand whispered in his ear, “I love you.” before releasing him to chase after the monster, picking up his fallen lance mid-run.  
Hubert stood still and began conjuring more purple rays.   
Marianne galloped to the side, leading the monster away. The beast would snap at the horse, nearly missing it repeatedly. She then dazed it with another Aura light. As it stood dazed, Ferdinand used the opportunity to strike its exposed flank with his lance. It swiveled around towards Ferdinand and began another fireball. Ferdinand rolled, dodging it. As he got to his feet, he suddenly felt rejuvenated. The wounds from earlier no longer hurt. He saluted at Marianne, “Thank you!”   
During the distraction, Marianne galloped as fast as the horse could go towards Ferdinand. She helped upon the back of the saddle and then spun around instantly to avoid a fireball.   
“I have an idea!” Ferdinand called out to Hubert, “Give it the swords!” Marianne quickly gave the monster a wider birth as the black pool formed. The beast looked down at it in curiosity, then started screaming as the flying bolts repeatedly stabbed it. Ferdinand gently told Marianne, “Ride as close as you can. Quickly.” He started sticking out the lance towards the monster. The monster began to turn towards them, but Ferdinand, fortunately, found an open wound from the swords. “Hang on tight, Marianne.” he warned, and he jabbed the lance into the wound, slashing up the monster’s flank and side. The Demonic Beast howled. Unfortunately, when the lance hooked on a rib, it stuck, yanking Ferdinand off his horse. Fortunately, he landed on his feet, albeit awkwardly. Desperately, the monster began to turn, staring straight at Ferdinand with a readied fireball. Ferdinand smirked and forcibly jabbed the lance inside its chest cavity. The fireball vanished, and the monster crumbled, unmoving.  
When Marianne returned to his side, she was breathing heavily and making panicked pants. “We need to leave. We should leave and not stop.” Marianne said, frightened. “Until I'm dead, they won't stop.”  
“You are right, Marianne. We have pushed our luck far enough.” He looked around for Hubert and found the mage on top of the beast, “Hubert, what are you doing?!”  
The mage stood over the monster’s head, peering at it, investigating it. He smiled, like an owl who found the mouse nest He unsheathed his sword and, with both hands gripping the hilt, he lifted it overhead and stabbed straight into the beast’s skull. Black blood jetted out in a pulsating, rhythmic geyser. Some of it sprayed upon Hubert's torso and part of his face as he forced the sword deeper.   
“Did you find something?” Ferdinand called out.  
“Yes!” Hubert gritted out from between his teeth as he rotated his hands about and began pushing down on the sword as a lever. He loudly grunted from the effort.   
Ferdinand fought the temptation to offer help. Hubert had a precise methodology for this search. So he casually crossed his arms and leaned against his horse, waiting.  
With a loud, sickening crunch of torn flesh and bone, Hubert finally succeeded in pulling apart the beast’s skull. With a deviously delighted chuckle, Hubert knelt and reached inside the brain. Both Ferdinand and Marianne looked away as squishy sounds erupted from above; Marianne was disturbed, folding her hands tightly together, “. . . Oh, Goddess.”  
“It never gets easier.”  
“He’s done this before?”  
“A bit.”  
“But. . . Weren’t these once--.”  
“Don’t think about it too much. Not now anyway.” It didn't shock Ferdinand anymore, but he still couldn't get past the noises.   
“You’re fine with this?”  
“Absolutely not. But if I could convince him, would he be up there right now?”  
Finally, Hubert jumped down. Smiling maliciously, he had a large, flat, and blood-soaked stone in his hand. Ferdinand asked, “Which one?”  
“Fire.” He wiped away the blood. “A gift for Lady Edelgard; an intact fire crest stone.”  
“Intact?” Ferdinand peered at it curiously, “That’s a first. Don’t they crack upon death regardless?”   
Hubert snickered darkly as he walked past Ferdinand, “Think about it.”  
Marianne turned away again, “. . . Oh, Goddess.”  
Ferdinand just sighed with an eye roll. As Hubert walked past him, he stopped and turned his head towards Ferdinand’s ear, with his usual calculating grin, “Thank you, Precious.” His words almost sounded like a hissing snake making a veiled threat. He kissed his cheek, almost touching the corner of his mouth, leaving a small lip-shaped bloodstain.  
Ferdinand either didn’t notice or was excited by it, for he returned with a flirtatious smirk and an exaggeratedly smarmy voice that was borderline sarcasm, “You are welcome, Sweetheart.”   
As Ferdinand mounted the horse with Marianne, Hubert tucked the crescent stone in the saddlebag. There was a roar in the distance. “We need to go.” Marianne said. Hubert briskly walked ahead. The others followed.   
The roar sounded again, this time closer. “Keep walking. Keep walking.” Hubert repeated. Marianne held the reigns tighter. The horse walked to a trot.   
The large footfalls stepped closer. A large tree fell over. Another enormous demonic beast’s claws dug into the trunk, growling at them. Marianne covered her mouth to repress the scream. “Run!” Ferdinand yelled as he lifted Hubert behind him as the horse galloped at its top speed. The beast began chasing them. Hubert turned towards the creature, firing a black bolt towards it. The spell caught it square on the head, but it seemed only to annoy it. The horse ran through the foliage, amazingly not yet tripping over the branches and roots. Ferdinand held tight to both Marianne and Hubert, determined that they will make it together. The creature was quickly catching up to them.  
A splash of red broke through the heavy mists ahead of them. Then muddy purple. Ferdinand recognized both and got an idea. “Marianne, keep her steady.” he said, then spun around in the saddle.  
“Ferdinand, what are you doing?”  
To get out of the way, Hubert slid off the horse and landed in a roll before running ahead. Ferdinand tightly grasped the lance, keeping a careful balance on the galloping horse’s back on one bent knee while glaring tauntingly at the monster. He waited until he heard familiar, running footsteps approaching. With a yell, Ferdinand then leaped into the air, lance overhead, straight at the monster’s face. Hubert spun around to watch him as someone ran past him. As Ferdinand neared the monster, he brought down lance, and both he and the blades dug straight into the skull bones between the monster’s eyes, forcing its large, top-heavy head to dig itself into the earth. Ferdinand yelled out, “Get him, Caspar!”  
“Yeah!!” The smaller blue-haired, armored man yelled in an enthusiastic answer as he was already readying his armed fists. His hands bore steel gauntlets with three thick blades. Like blitzed lightning, Caspar punched at the creature's lowered head, breaking teeth and facial plates with every one. Ferdinand wrestled with the beast, twisting the lance every time it attempted to move.   
Then a raised hind leg came down upon Ferdinand’s back, scraping his armor with its claws. “Caspar, watch out!” he yelled as he fell backward.   
Caspar held tightly to its back, punching at its shoulders. The monster desperately scraped at him, but Caspar clung in between its shoulders beyond its reach.  
Suddenly, an ax blade crashed down, splitting the monster’s head in two. With one strong pull, Edelgard removed her ax, and blood and fluids spilled onto the ground.   
Edelgard tucked a loose hair behind her ear, “I see you three have been busy.”  
Ferdinand wiped his lance on the grass, returning to her side upon completion, “The trail should be clear.”  
Edelgard nodded, silently eyeing the kiss mark on Ferdinand’s cheek then back at Hubert. The dark mage acted like he didn't notice, but Edelgard knew the glimmer in his eye, “The forest should be safe for now.”  
Then a pack of dire wolves howled in the distance. “But it won't last.”  
Marianne sighed anxiously, “They won't stop.”  
Byleth said, “Then we should kill Maurice as soon as possible.”  
Edelgard nodded. “An army without a commander will scatter.”  
Linhart cocked his head to the side as if in thought, “We have a more substantial chance of ridding this legend as one unit, but we still don't know how powerful it is or what it’s capable of.”  
Byleth gave Marianne a knowing glance. Hubert also turned to Marianne, “May you show us where he is?”  
Marianne nervously held onto the reins. “Are we able to defeat him?”   
Ferdinand answered her, “If it frees the people of the terror and you of your curse, then it’s worth the risk.”  
Byleth nodded, “We were able to make it this far individually.”  
Caspar pounded his fists, “Enough of the pep talk. Let’s go!” Linhart fluidly side steps behind Caspar as he slowly heads into formation, with Caspar darting ahead.  
As the others spoke, Byleth then turned towards the empty mists. Hubert and Edelgard, as if one mind, both noticed Byleth, who then asked, “Did any of you hear something?”  
On that question, the group immediately quieted and ran into formation: Edelgard leading with Ferdinand and Hubert by her sides. Caspar stood next to Marianne as she, still on the horse, rode behind them. Lindhart was in the middle. Then large, familiar footfalls echoed throughout the mists, louder than ever before. Byleth unsheathed her sword of the Creator.  
Hubert said, “Seems that we were saved the trouble of finding this Maurice. If we sneak in quietly, we’ll catch it off guard.”  
“Lady Edelgard, ” Ferdinand turned, “We should charge. If it attacks first, he’ll have the advantage. We must not give it that chance.”  
Byleth and Edelgard shared a glance, to which the Professor gave the nod.   
“We’ll move forward.” Edelgard said, “Stay together and be ready.” On her word, the small group moved together as one.  
Within less than a minute, a clawed foot stepped in their path.  
If the last monsters were strange, the one known as Maurice was by far the most bizarre. Its body was held together by muscular knots layered under its gray skin like ripples and shell patched. They also formed over its face and mouth like ropes binding it. Its eyes appeared blind. Its teeth were long and jagged like the other creatures. The monster was overwhelmingly giant, standing at the height of a large house. Most fortunately, the monster was searching in the opposite direction.  
“Don’t give it a chance to move.” Edelgard said. “Go!” On her word, Byleth, Edelgard, Caspar, and Ferdinand ran forward while Hubert and Marianne stayed behind to ready their spells. However, just a few feet before they reached the target, a surreal voice echoed in their heads. It was bestial, but it spoke in words. “Nothing you can do will keep me from feasting on your flesh and blood!” The monster’s face flew around towards them with a slam of its front legs, shaking the earth.  
Byleth called to her students, “Stay focused.” bringing all of them back to the fight. Acting fast, the four flanked the monster from all four sides. The monster started with a release of purple gas.  
Caspar tackled against the monster’s front leg, “It’s gonna take more than a fart to beat us!” And the monster swiped at him across the shoulders, throwing him back.  
“Are you the one to liberate me?” Byleth had her sword chain around the monster’s leg, cutting into it as she retracted it. “I am not impressed.” While the monster was distracted by Caspar, Edelgard swung her ax into the vulnerable tendons connecting its shoulder. Muscle flayed open as it bled profusely. With a quick slash, Ferdinand struck its side, slicing through its armored skin, but when blood began to spill, its wounds sealed themselves, “It can heal itself!”  
Suddenly, a light of a crest flashed above the monster’s head, and it began to immediately pound its fists into the ground, resulting in earthquake-like tremors. The fighters paused as they braced against them by either a quick few steps back or kneeling low, except Caspar, who tripped.   
Suddenly, nearly everyone at what they saw. With simple ease, The monster rose on his hind legs, and with its non-dominant hand-claw, it reached down and grabbed Caspar, who was punching it repeatedly. The monster’s claw narrowly missed piercing his leg as he crawled away.   
Linhart rapidly twirled his hands in a circle, summoning a purple pillar to crash down upon the monster’s arched neck. It dropped Caspar as its head and neck waggled in all directions from pain. A yellow light covered Caspar before he hit the ground, healing him.  
Before the monster could recover, it howled, for Ferdinand had pierced its now exposed soft skin flank with his lance, attempted to recreate the stab wound from before. “Heal this!” He yelled, and he pulled the weapon downward, cleaving it. In response, the monster reached around dug his claws upon Ferdinand, catching him on his arm. Fortunately, the armor blocked most of the attack, but Ferdinand felt a stab as one buried itself in-between two plates and into Ferdinand’s forearm. He clenched his teeth to halt the scream of pain. Then the monster roughly pulled him up into the air, forcing Ferdinand to release the lance. Acting quick before anyone could retaliate, it grabbed Ferdinand’s other arm, “Die!” and bit down upon his exposed shoulder. Ferdinand couldn’t repress the yell.  
Suddenly, the beast flinched backward, releasing Ferdinand. Purple spikes hacked at its sides combined with Edelgard, who slammed her ax into the exposed bend of its back, all tearing natural armor and flesh. Ferdinand ran aside. Blood leaked in-between armor plates.  
“Brace yourselves!” Byleth called out, anchoring herself as she held onto the monster's arm. The force of the pull caused parts of the monster’s shelled exterior to be yanked off, falling to the ground like discarded armor pieces. “Everyone with magic! Hit him hard and fast!” Ferdinand looked over at Hubert as both he and Caspar took a few steps back, anticipating what he would do.  
Hubert and Linhart passed a glance, one grinned while the other shrugged, and then, as if choreographed, spun their arms in wide, synchronized circles ending with left hands extended over the right. The beast was suddenly surrounded by two fused hurricanes of cutting blades, slashing at its hardened skin. They were then followed by a bright, yellow beam from the sky, crushing the exposed monster. It fell to its proverbial knees, protectively grasping his head and rolling side to side as if dizzy.  
“Full Force, everyone!” Edelgard called. “Now!”  
Byleth retracted the sword, causing the monster’s stance to destabilize further, and Edelgard followed her immediately with an ax swing to the monster’s side, causing it to fall upon its side with a loud, surreal yell. Black blood began pooling underneath it. Its long tail swung across the open air, narrowly missing Caspar and Ferdinand. It made a broad sweep with its claws, almost catching Linhart and Hubert. Both made quick wrist-flicks that brought both hands of each together; Lindhart fired numerous purple bolts and Hubert several black bolts.  
Ferdinand, whose bleeding arm hung weakly at his side, stood next to Hubert. While so, he heard a whisper of Marianne’s voice in his ear, and his arm fully healed. He turned to the hoof beats behind him with another “Thank you.” Caspar ran at the waving claws, one of which struck him so forcibly that half of his chest armor was pulled off. Byleth’s sword caught the monster’s neck, slashing it with one pull.   
The monster froze. Each prepared a defense, but the monster did not move at all. “Well done.” it's voice echoed again, “A nightmare of thousand years. . . ends.” It collapsed to the earth. “Oh Inheritor of my crest, if this body is to decay, then this sword. . . . I leave to you.” The monster’s claws and tails stopped moving.  
It was quiet. All was quiet, like the tomb at Garreg Mach. Ferdinand collapsed into a seating position, exhausted. Hubert, who was next to him, stepped directly behind him, gloved hand caressing up his shoulder and neck. Caspar searched for his missing armor as Linhart cast a soft light that stitched the slash wounds on the other’s shoulder. Edelgard and Marianne both leaned upon Byleth’s shoulders, who was holding both close.   
Suddenly, the mists disappeared all around them, returning the forest to a state of somewhat normal. It was still unusually silent, but it felt temporary as opposed to creepy. Upon the disappearance of the mist, the bleeding corpse of the monster slowly vanished, crumbling away as if made of sand to disappearing as if made of light. All that was left was a curved sword, a hero’s relic, amongst shambled human bones. “That must be it.” Byleth said as Marianne knelt down to retrieve it.   
Edelgard sheathed her ax, “We’ll have it cleaned and repaired when we return to camp.” She looked back on the path they took. “Everyone, I know you’re tired, but it is a long walk back to camp. We should leave soon.” With the clearance of the forest, everyone could take a moment of respite before leaving to return.  
Interestingly, whether it came from mutual training or just simply being a united force for so long, everyone left together regardless. Marianne led the horse as she spoke with Byleth. Ferdinand, still feeling vigilant, left last. The lingering feeling of monsters stomping about remained with him, so he walked alone in an attempt to oversee the entire group protectively.  
Fortunately, that did not last. A shadowy black figure walked next to him. Ferdinand turned to him with a bright smile. “Thank you for joining me.”  
Hubert didn’t respond.   
On that, Ferdinand tenderly reached over with fingertips caressing down his arm towards his hand. Hubert took back his arm and just walked next to him. A bit perplexed, Ferdinand did the same.

The sun was beginning to set, and Ferdinand was going to see Hubert. For the past however long, Ferdinand was at his tent, washing the filth from the mission off of himself, his clothing, and his armor. His hair was in a black-tied, high ponytail. The sleeves of his linen white shirt were rolled to his elbows. His hands were slightly pink. The residential area of the military camp was row after row of identical white canvas tents. As he walked by, he saw Marianne talking with Byleth at the meeting circle, composed of rows after rows of benches in a circular arrangement. Mercenaries and soldiers alike were either at the armorsmith repairing equipment or the infirmary repairing their bodies. He crossed by Edelgard’s tent to find Hubert’s tent, as neither of them were usually far from her. Hubert would usually take to reading to wind down after a mission. This time, his tent was empty.   
Fortunately, he wasn't far at all. He found Hubert by his silhouette on the tent’s back wall, but it didn't appear like he wanted to be found. Ferdinand ran behind the tent and found him sitting on a wooden bench while leaning forward with elbows on knees, overlooking the open field of sparse trees and brown to green grasses. A peaceful pond was nearby. A bucket of bloodied water was on the ground next to his feet, with a saturated wash rag dangling from the side.   
“Hubert?”  
He didn’t answer.  
Ferdinand sat down next to him, “Hubert, is there something wrong?”  
He still didn't answer.  
“This isn’t like you.”  
“Don’t start.”  
Ferdinand stopped, staring forward in silence. He wanted to talk to him, but he also wanted to respect his space. Would it help if he sat there with him? At least he was allowing that.   
After a few minutes, “May I ask you a question?”  
“You’re going to anyway.”  
Ferdinand crossed his arms. Over the years, Ferdinand learned that Hubert’s implications were just as, if not more, important than his words, and this was especially true in his worst moods. The challenge was navigating that without losing his temper. “Hubert, today, when you fought the monster, you looked scared.”  
Hubert did not respond.  
“Were you?”  
Hubert continued not to respond.   
“Did you think that you had to pick up some of the slack? I may have not my best out there-.”  
“I was angry as hell!” Hubert yelled, “You almost died! Three times!”  
“Three?”  
“The fire! The fourth! Maurice, Ferdinand!What the hell were you thinking! If that thing just lifted its head to look, it would’ve eaten you!”  
“That did not happen, so stop holding it against me, and you can not hold the fire attack against me. I had no control over that.” Attempting to stay calm, Ferdinand stated, “We handled it fine.”  
“Barely! Half of it was pure luck! You were too reckless out there, Ferdinand. You could’ve been killed!”  
“Don’t you dare dump everything on me! I did what I was trained to do. I do not get the luxury to stand outside and watch.”  
“Would it kill you to think while you're ‘up front’?!”  
“I was! It's chaos there. I can’t account for everything. Could anyone expect to be thrown in the air?”  
“Against that, yes. They did it before.”  
“Was it at a battle I wasn't there to see? I haven't seen that! How was I supposed to predict that?! Were you going to say anything? Or were you too busy firing everything at its neck!”  
“I had to force it off of you!”  
“I handled it fine until you went overboard!”  
“Is your head still spinning from being slammed or are you that stupid! That’s not handling it fine!”  
“If I’m such a problem from you, then - !” On that, Ferdinand turned away. Insults were rising, and he wasn't going to regret his words later. He shot up from the bench and stomped into the tent.   
“Then what!” Hubert yelled after him. With a loud sigh, his head fell in his hands.  
Gripping his sleeves' fabric as his arms crossed and pacing about the tent, Ferdinand attempted to calm down. He needed to refocus on what Hubert was trying to say. He was above this pettiness. They both were. After a few breaths, with a calm voice, he asked through the tent fabric, “Were you angry?”  
Hubert sat silently. Eventually, he gave a faintly voiced answer, “. . . No, I was scared.”  
Ferdinand stood silent, but he was floored. Hubert didn't have to say it, Ferdinand already knew just from implications, but his honesty and vulnerability overwhelmed him so that Ferdinand felt his heart overflow. Ferdinand chastised himself for losing his temper with him. All he wanted to do was hold him close. “Hubert, we should not argue. There's no reason for it. I know it was stressful, but we must not argue.” Ferdinand slowly sighed. “We don't have to talk anymore if you don't want to, but will you come inside? Please?”  
There was silence. Ferdinand felt his heart ache. No matter how much he tried to understand, it still wounded him to be shut out. He stood in patient silence, but the longer he waited, the more his heart sank.  
Suddenly, the tent flap opened. Hubert was unsure at first, but after seeing Ferdinand’s sincerity, his previous defenses disappeared entirely into a quiet vulnerability. He muttered, “It’s fine. We can talk.”  
Ferdinand felt very relieved, “Thank you.” His arms dropped to his side. “You were scared?”  
Hubert kept looking down or to the side, unable to look at Ferdinand, “I’ve seen you take too much damage. It’s expected, and I am the greater fool for feeling this, but I can’t stand it. I don’t ever want to see you die out there, especially because of some error in judgment.”  
Ferdinand cooed Hubert’s name as he stepped closer to him, reaching for his hands and holding them between his own. “Hubert, it’s not just me out there. We survived something very few people could because we worked together. Hubert, you were magnificent! Every conjuring you did was perfect.” Hubert blushed at his words. As he continued, Ferdinand stepped even though closer to Hubert, their bodies almost touching. “You are always there for me. I am grateful to you for that. I need you with me, and I will put my life on the line out there to protect you. But not if it hurts you. In the future, I promise not to be so reckless. I’m sorry, Hubert.”  
Listening, Hubert remained frozen. He was moved. So many years later, he was still not used to such praise for what has long considered nothing more than utility, particularly from the one who once looked down on magic long, long ago. It’s amazing how much both of them had changed. Now, he gazed into Ferdinand’s soft eyes, “Don’t be. I was not fair to you. Thinking back, I had no right to complain about you being reckless, not while I kept running off.”  
“You were scouting. I understand.”  
“Thank you. We both did what we had to do. Perhaps I should've been more understanding.”   
“Everyone survived. The mission was a success. We did fine. Together.”  
“. . . We did. Together.” He paused in thought. “You are an outstanding fighter. You say I was magnificent, but I wouldn’t last seconds out there without you ensuring my safety. I need you with me too. Ferdinand, I promise to trust you more.”  
Ferdinand was now overwhelmed. Trust from Hubert was precious beyond measure. The two men reached around each other as they pressed their bodies together. Ferdinand interlocked his hands upon Hubert’s back as his arms wrapped around his waist, who grasped his shoulders then slid down to his arms. Their foreheads gently met as they fell lost into each other’s eyes. “Thank you.” Ferdinand whispered. “That means so much to me.” They both closed their eyes, enjoying each other’s presence.   
Hubert’s hand caressed Ferdinand’s cheek, fingertips brushing away the very few remaining flakes of dried blood, “I’m surprised that you never washed it off.”  
“Why would I wash off a kiss from you?”  
They smiled sweetly at each other as Hubert’s fingertips continued caressing down Ferdinand’s jawline to under his chin. The two began to angle closer.  
The horn blasted, calling for assembly. Hubert groaned in annoyance. Ferdinand silently giggled. After a pause, he smirked and gave Hubert a delicate, promising peck on the lips before leaving his embrace, pinning open the tent flap for him on the way out. Hubert waited, closely watching him leave before he even took a step. 

**Author's Note:**

> After researching this, I'm now quite disappointed that Buddy Pick-Up (go google it, it's fun to watch) is not a game mechanic. Then again, it might make the riding mechanic too complicated if not ridiculously overpowered. It would be like two horse units in the same square. I would buddy pick-up Dimitri with Byleth and clear out the board in three turns.
> 
> The embrace in the last scene is from one of my favorite Ferdinand/Hubert fan arts, which you can see here: 
> 
> https://mobile.twitter.com/rayaaa_05/status/1315658485762125830
> 
> As for crest stones, I know the Fire Emblem Wiki said their location was in the heart, but I think the Hypothalamus makes more sense for fire spells.


End file.
